Senate rebels against Trump, votes to withdraw US support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen

Sen. Bernie Sanders displays a photo depicting a child affected by famine caused by the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

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Screenshot/C-Span

The Senate on Thursday voted 56 to 41 in favor of a
resolution to withdraw US support for Saudi Arabia in the Yemen
conflict in a stunning rebuke of President Donald Trump.

This vote comes amid outcry over Trump's response to the
killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

The vote is largely symbolic, given the House on Wednesday
moved to block virtually any deliberations on US involvement in
Yemen for the rest of the congressional session.

But the House is likely to take up the issue again when it
reconvenes in the new year and Democrats take over.

The Senate on Thursday voted 56 to
41 in favor of a resolution to withdraw US support for Saudi
Arabia in the Yemen conflict in a stunning rebuke of President
Donald Trump's ongoing,
controversial support for the kingdom following the killing
of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

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The vote is largely symbolic, given the House on Wednesday moved
to
block virtually any deliberations on US involvement in Yemen
for the rest of the congressional session. Accordingly, the
measure will not end up on Trump's desk.

But the House is likely to take up the issue again when it
reconvenes in the new year and Democrats take over.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for
comment from INSIDER.

Sanders celebrated the resolution's success
on social media, saying, "The Senate has voted to stop US
military support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.
This is the first time ever that the Senate has voted to end an
unauthorized war."

The Vermont senator signaled lawmakers will continue to
focus on this issue in 2019, describing it as a "major vote on
the path toward ending US involvement in this horrific war and
humanitarian crisis."

Murphy echoed these sentiments in a statement, saying,
"Saudi Arabia just lost the support of Congress for their
disastrous war in Yemen. A bipartisan majority spoke with one
voice that the status quo is over and we will no longer accept
the war crimes being committed in our name."

"The momentum is on one side, and it's only growing," Murphy
added.

In March, the same resolution failed in the Senate in a 55
to 44 vote, so Thursday's vote marks a major shift in how
lawmakers view the US-Saudi partnership. There is no
question that much of this change was motivated by Khashoggi's
killing, which has caused global outcry and placed an
uncomfortable spotlight on the relationship between Washington
and Riyadh.

Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on
October 2. The CIA has reportedly concluded his killing was
ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler
of Saudi Arabia.

Trump has continued to stand by the crown prince, however,
despite bipartisan condemnation of the Saudi leader.
Consequently, the president has faced accusations of undermining
the US intelligence community and engaging in a cover-up on
Riyadh's behalf.

The conflict in Yemen, a fight between Iran-backed Houthi
rebels and a Saudi-led coalition, has claimed
nearly 58,000 lives, according to the Armed Conflict Location
and Event Data Project. The war has also brought famine and
disease and has been particularly detrimental to Yemeni children.